This invention relates to the preparation of 3-fluoro-3-nitrooxetane and the use of this compound as a precursor for nitro containing polyethers. Nitro containing polyethers have utility as explosives and propellant binders. The only known nitrooxetane that has been prepared prior to this invention is 3,3-bis(nitromethyl)oxetane, prepared by A. T. Neilsen and W. G. Finnegan. It is reported in Tetrahedron, 22, 925 (1966). This nitrooxetane was prepared in only 3% yield. Fluorooxetanes have been prepared by the reaction of olefins and fluoro ketones as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,571 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,581. This method of preparation does not however lead to nitrated oxetane which would be suitable for explosives and propellants.
As mentioned previously the method for preparation of 3,3-bis(nitromethyl)oxetane has too low a yield to provide a satisfactory source for producing nitrooxetane in any quantity. There is thus a need for an efficient practical method of making nitrooxetanes in substantial yields and a high degree of purity.